“Up NEPA!” screamed the children. It is an exclamation that competes with “thank God” in Nigeria. We grew up shouting it, our parents said it not as frequently as we, but it is a truly made in Nigeria product. It is becoming an unpopular term these days considering that we now have alternatives everywhere to the electricity provided by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria previously NEPA (National Electric Power Authority). Everywhere in Nigeria, there is a persistent sound; night and day it is heard. The fumes rising from each part of the country might make a visitor think Nigeria is one huge fire starting slowly. Global warming is not a source of worry to the people here as that smoke is a necessary evil. And so our people go on screaming Up NEPA! But what really is Up NEPA? Public electricity in Nigeria is unstable and comes on randomly for a few hours a day, a week and sometimes never at all in a year. Some parts of Africa’s most populous country have never seen a light bulb glow
Commentary on contemporary Nigerian news and issues. Worldwide football and more. Fairness and objectivity always